Brooklyn Tyler Kiefer

I can't believe that 11 1/2 weeks have gone by and I haven't updated our blog. It's actually been longer than that since I've updated it, but life has been out of control crazy since our little Brooksie was born. Sept. 14th came and went...since then, our life as a family of four has been so much fun, so hard and so unbelievably rewarding all at the same time. I finally feel like I'm at a better place and adjusting to my new role as a mom of two. Brooks is precious! He just makes my heart so happy. Jacey-Kate LOVES her little brother and always seems to want my help when I sit down to nurse. I guess this is normal- she's a little mama, too. The slide show is a bit long, but it's about 3 months worth of pics. I tried to keep it all about Brooks since I've neglected to post about his precious little self for so long. I'm going to do better...when I actually have time!!! (maybe 20 years from now)

4th of July

We had about a week long 4th of July this year. It was so much fun! We started celebrating in the mountains with my family on July 1st. My parents' community hosts an annual 4th of July Bar-B-Q which was so much fun. Jacey-Kate, Luke and Lily Anne got to walk in the parade and then chow down on one of the best bar-b-q pork sandwiches I've had.

Chad, Sarah Kate, Caroline and Grey came down to stay with us the 3rd-5th. Jacey-Kate's finally at an age where she can enjoy playing with them, and they are SO good with her. We had a blast as we always do. The 4th was full of excitement- we decorated the Williams' VW truck and then rode our golf cart in the parade, went to the pool, the guys drove to AL to buy fireworks and then made pizzas at the Olsens while waiting to shoot off fireworks. Unfortunately, it rained! The fireworks got moved to Wednesday night after the ice cream social.

My birthday flew by on Wednesday, but was one of the best yet. Russ and I took Jacey-Kate to the Children's Museum downtown. She of course ran wild and loved every minute of it. I think her favorite part was painting on the wall. We had lunch at one of my favorite places- Taqueria del Sol, then headed home. The Ice Cream Social started around 7:30- we had tons of ice cream and several amazing homemade varieties. Jacey-Kate was in hog heaven as you'll see in the pictures below; I think this was the longest she has sat still in her 2 years of life. The fireworks were a hit. Russ, Chad and Patrick did an amazing job setting them up and the show was the BEST I've seen. Jacey-Kate stayed up for the fireworks. She was a little scared at first and then she loved them and kept saying, "more sparkles, more sparkles". She sat with her Aunt Meg most of the show, she didn't want her mommy. Afterwards, we went back to our house and had Gigi's Cupcakes! OMG- they were yummy!

We ended our 4th of July week with Jacey-Kate's birthday and party. She had Sublime Happy Birthday donuts, a trip to get her big girl bed and bedding in Atlanta and then fun with Lulu and Dee that evening. Her Elmo birthday party was a hit! We had 10 children over for a couple of hours and we painted, played, and ate a lot! The kids were precious and were so well behaved. Thanks to my parents, Aunt Meg, Bonnie and Melea for helping with her party. Enjoy the pics from our fabulous 4th of July week!!

Almost 2...

Spring has flown by and we are enjoying the beginning of summer, but could do without the 95 degree heat. We can't believe that Jacey-Kate will be 2 in 18 days. Jacey-Kate has had the opportunity to spend time with lots of friends that we don't get to see often. Here are pictures from the lake with Jake Taylor and his parents, our visit with Lucy Scroggins, baby Jake and baby Grayson. It's so fun to watch Jacey-Kate with a little baby. She gets so excited! I can't wait to see how she responds to our sweet baby this fall. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

The Children's Museum

We went to the Children's Museum in Atlanta this morning with our good friends, Kerri and Jake. I couldn't believe how much the museum had to offer toddlers. We had so much fun! Can't wait to take Daddy back with us next time.

I LOVE....

This will make your day!

Spring 2011

We have lots to report- I've been MIA with blogging. I should get better, but I seem to get worse at it. Maybe a sticky note will help. Our picture slideshow is a quick recap of the past two months. Russ and I went to Turks & Caicos for 5 days which was an amazing experience. Only 3 hours from Atlanta on Delta, gotta love that! Check out www.amanyara.com to see where we stayed for part of our trip. Aunt Laura babysat while we were on our much needed vacation. We are so lucky to have family willing to babysit Jacey-Kate. She has a blast and learned about her new friend, ELMO, while we were gone. Jacey-Kate has also gotten to visit with Lulu and Dee a few times over the last two months. Dee even taught her how to draw fun animals on her chalkboard. When I walked upstairs and saw the chalkboard full of my dad's drawings, it reminded me of the old days when he used to draw for me. Great memories!

Jacey-Kate has had lots of fun play dates recently. We went to see Lily's new home in Alpharetta and we've had lots of fun Fridays in Serenbe with our neighborhood friends since the weather has been so lovely. Easter weekend was so much fun this year. We kicked it off by buying 6 baby chicks for the Easter Egg Hunt. They lived with us for about 5 days and then Russ decided it was time to get rid of them. Jacey-Kate loved the "bock bocks" and would sit down and say, "hold bock bocks" every time she saw them. She wasn't into finding Easter Eggs this year, maybe next year. Easter lunch was delicious, we enjoyed it with our neighbors, Meghan and Patrick, and then went to a pig roast.

Pop pop and Nee Nee flew down and babysat while we were in Highlands, NC for a weekend. They had so much fun with Jacey-Kate and even got her to eat a healthy snack! That didn't last long, so they may need to come visit more often. :-) Jacey-Kate loves playing with her daddy's ipad and she knows exactly how to work it. She has a folder of games and she can unlock it, open the folder and open all of the games. It's crazy to think how her little mind can grasp technology at such an early age.

We found out last Friday that we're definitely having a boy! We're all thrilled and Jacey-Kate says, "baby brotha" whenever she sees my belly or the ultrasound pictures. We know she's going to be a GREAT big sister because we babysat my niece for 5 days and all Jacey-Kate wanted to do was play with "baby Anne". The minute that kid woke up, all she asked for was baby Anne. It was so much fun seeing her interact with her cousin and watching her be a little mommy. We can't wait until September 30th! Don't ask about a name because we haven't been able to agree on anything yet. I'm hoping Russ will give in if I hold out long enough. Ha, Ha- Just Kidding!

Mother's Day should have been a GREAT day, but my little one had a 105 degree fever and ended up with Hand, Mouth, Foot virus. That is no fun at all, but it's the life of a toddler. We've been very fortunate that she hasn't been that sick, so I guess a little bumpy rash will have to do.

Our slideshow concludes with pics from Woodward's Graduation. We weren't able to get pictures with all of the kids that have been a blessing in our lives over the past four years, but the few we got are so precious to us. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach at WA and to get to know such amazing students and families. I'm going to miss seeing these faces weekly at FCA, but I'm so excited to see where the next chapter in their lives lead them.

Jacey-Kate's BIG News

Yes, Jacey-Kate and her parents have BIG news!! Jacey-Kate's going to be a BIG sister and we just found out that she's going to have a little BROTHER! We are all so excited. Jacey-Kate loves looking at the ultrasound pictures and says, "baybay". She's going to be a wonderful big sister. I'm glad to be in my second trimester and am looking forward to the little baby bump to come.

We've had a lot of fun at the Kiefer house this month! Jacey-Kate went to stay with her Vu-Vu and Dee for a night and just loved Dee this trip. She got to open a few late Christmas presents from her Aunt Kellie and Gigi. She actually figured out how to unwrap the presents. Sad for mommy since she loves opening presents, too!

January and February 2011

Jacey-Kate has had so many fun adventures over the last two months. She had her 18 month check up where she figured out she could hide from her doctor in the fire truck exam table cabinet. It snowed at the beginning of January, so we were able to sled and enjoy the week off with daddy. Aunt Yumi came to visit and we got to have lunch with great grandma Faye, grand uncle Alan and grand aunt Pat. We also surprised daddy at his office, that was so much fun to see where daddy spends all his time when he's away from us. Today we fed the baby lambs at Serenbe which was just too precious. We love living in a community where there are baby animals being born year round. The weather this week has been off to an amazing start, we're loving the 60 degree weather and hoping it continues to warm up! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Christmas 2010

Hoping to post more often now that I'm at home again. My long term sub position at Woodward Academy was great, but confirmed that my role now is at home with my sweet little girl. She is a little girl now....definitely not a baby any more. Jacey-Kate makes us laugh all the time now. She's doing something new every day. Russ and I love watching her experience life, it's going by too quickly. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!